Global bakery news

28 January, 2011

Page 13

According to foodnavigator.com the German bakery market is likely to see further consolidation as the dominance of small bakeries are unsustainable in the long-term, claimed the new director of the bakery ingredients division of Arla Foods, Søren Krarup. She said the time was ripe for larger companies domestic and foreign with better economies of scale to make a play for market consolidation in the German bakery sector.

High-fibre rye bread enriched with plant sterols (naturally occurring cholesterol-lowering compounds), is said to help reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) levels, according to a new study from Finland. Research published in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases looked at the effects of eating enriched rye bread and associated a reduction in total cholesterol of 5%, and an LDL reduction of 8% over two weeks.

A report by CNBC suggested that rising commodities would not cause inflation. It pointed to work by the USDA, which suggested only about 30% of a wheat price rise ends up in flour, with 10% contributing to the price of bread. It added that it could take from two to six months for a commodity rise to filter through to consumer prices.

Bread prices look set to rise in eastern Europe, with the Romanian Farmer Association predicting a hike of 10-12% there.